We're celebrating America's independence with American classical music during the day and nostalgic jazz at night on July 3rd and 4th. Join us!
CLASSICAL
Tune in during classical music hours beginning Thursday afternoon for music reaching back to the birth of our nation, all the way to the present. You'll hear music by Philadelphia-born composer and arranger Hershy Kay from the ballet Stars and Stripes, featuring arrangements of works by John Philip Sousa. American Ballads: Settings of American Tunes for Orchestra by the great American composer, conductor, and pianist Morton Gould will also be featured; this is one of the three commissioned pieces Gould composed in 1976 for the U.S. bicentennial. In addition we'll bring you Ellis Island: The Dream of America by composer Peter Boyer. Written in 2002, it combines first-person narrations of seven immigrants who entered the United States through Ellis Island between 1910 and 1940 with Boyer's original orchestral music. We’ll also take a ride with Paul Revere, with the musical setting of the Longfellow poem by David Del Tredici.
Highlights:
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring – Thursday at 3 pm
Hershey Kay: Stars and Stripes Ballet, after Sousa – Thursday at 4 pm
Leroy Anderson: Piano Concerto – Thursday at 5:30 pm
Peter Boyer: Ellis Island, The Dream of America – Friday at 11 am
Charles Ives: Symphony No. 2 – Friday at 1 pm
Morton Gould: American Ballads – Friday at 2 pm
Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” - Saturday at 10 am
JAZZ
If you’re like us, the fourth of July holiday conjures up memories of block parties, sprinklers, fireworks and neighborhood friends. You can smell the burgers cooking, you can feel the anticipation of the ice cream truck’s arrival, and you can hear the music in the air. These summer holiday weekends strike up nostalgia, so WRTI wants to feed your need for the music that will take you back...
Starting on Thursday, July 3rd at 6 pm, Bob Perkins will kick off our holiday festivities by providing you with a set of some good-old American music. Be it vintage big band, Dixieland, classic vocals, or new interpretations of big band standards, WRTI will provide a set of the hits that you remember at the beginning of every hour until 6 am on Saturday morning.
Join us as we enjoy the lazy, hazy days by indulging in a slice of our country’s musical heritage.